Fate versus God
Dyson Ring - Scrapyard With a hollow center, all manner of space passes through the Ring. Here at the southern pole, a peculiar thing has happened. Scrap, junk, and all manner of space borne detritus has collected here. Or has it? The layers of forgotten objects have their own internal consistency. Slabs of concrete studded with rebar, durasteel scaffolding and serpentine curls of wiring form a crust that stands up to the space junk that has accumulated here. Try not to stand in the breeze, pulverized glass dust might get in your eyes! The Dyson Ring. Apparently, there were supposed to be some resources out here. Vince didn't really know about all that, but he had come to check the place out anyway. He'd brought the Headhunter along, in case the terrain had proved too rough for his usual Exo, the Ares. It was a good thing, too, as he'd had to fly to get just about anywhere. He had spotted this 'scrapyard' easily, and being the 'scrounger' that he was, he had stopped to see if there was anything useful lying around. He'd been out here for a while now, picking through the pieces of just about anything and everything one could think of, and was giving up on his efforts here. Turning, Vince activated the VTOL thrusters located in the feet of his Exo and lifted into the air, to take a few photo's of the area for the EDC records before he left the area. The sound of tank treads is miserably loud, the cacaphony drowned out only by the deadness of the space surrounding the vast region of junk and debris littering the Dyson Ring's scrapyard. This sat very well with the tank, as it served its purpose of ensuring that the automaton's trek was a stealthy one in spite of the less than stealthy visage of the AS90 Braveheart that he has chosen as his secondary skin. Imagine the surprise that lit up the processor controlling the mechanical being when his scanners came to rest upon the sight of something that he had only heard about until now. At this distance there was no doubt. The 'human' creature if the organic was not completely inept had heard him... "Fate, what have you in store for us?" Snapping off several pictures with the Headhunter's video system, which wasn't exactly the greatest in audio/visual technologies, Vince turned in the cockpit, looking out over the scrapyard. That sound wasn't something one would expect to hear way out here, in a 'dead-zone'.....That sound could only be one thing: A treaded vehicle, like a tank, or similar. And, as he scanned the area to his left and right, he spotted the AS90 and frowned. What the hell was a /tank/ doing way out here? There were no other EDC personnel out here, except his shuttle pilot and crew, and they hadn't brought any tanks with them. Rising higher into the air, Vince brought his weapon systems online and activated his combat sensors, and muttered under his breath. If that was a Decepticon, he was gonna be in some pain pretty soon, more than likely. Human-designed tanks were hard enough to kill, but Decepticon's had better armor and more powerful weapons on them. Activating his local broadband comm-system, Vince halted his upward rise and simply hovered on the VTOL thrusters, waiting for a reply over EDC and Autobot channels. After a few seconds with no reply from the tank, the young human inside the Headhunter tensed himself briefly and prepared to defend himself, uttering his customary prayer. "O God, Who knowest us to be set in the midst of such great perils, that, by reason of the weakness of our nature, we cannot stand upright, grant us such health of mind and body, that those evils which we suffer for our sins we may overcome through Thine assistance. Through Christ our Lord. Amen." And then he activated his targeting system, and waited. The treaded vehicle held its ground, even after the human made exo-armor jerked in a manner that made it abundantly clear that its pilot was well aware of his arrival. Surely, it was targetting him by now. A bag of flesh resting within a metal chassis. The thought--disgusting. "Fate, this bounty that you have delivered... This grotesque abomination. This joining of man and machine so perverse in the image of 'Cybertron's Fallen'... What were you thinking?" If it had a head to shake the tank would have done so, but for the moment he will have to make due by responding to the armored suit by targetting it in return. Combat: AS90 Braveheart sets its defense level to Fearless. Combat: AS90 Braveheart strikes Exo-Jet Headhunter with its Pistol attack! That was a bit unusual, a Decepticon not firing almost instantly on an exo. Vince wasn't going to complain, though. Maybe this particular Decepticon was deciding whether or not it was worth the effort to waste the ordnance. Glancing over the various readouts of the sensors and targeting computers of this Talon, nicknamed Headhunter for it's rather grim reputation of badly, often fatally, injuring it's pilots, the young human who was it's most recent pilot gripped the controls firmly, but relaxed, ready for evasive maneuvers. Vince had been the pilot of the Headhunter for quite some time now, and it had failed to live up to it's reputation. He had a way with machines, he treated them as living beings, even when they weren't. He took care of them, and they took care of him. He had been heard to say, on several occasions: 'It's a mystical bond between man and machine.', and he lived by that saying. It had saved his life on more than one occasion. Ahh, there it was! And that shot slammed into the Headhunter, denting the armor quite well, and tossing Vince around in the cockpit a bit. That's gonna leave a bruise. The arms of the Exo raise as the targeting computer locks onto the target, and the muzzle-flash from the large, fore-arm mounted machine guns and the tracer rounds give away the return fire, even if the sound of the large calibre weapons firing didn't. Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter strikes AS90 Braveheart with its Medium Machine Gun attack! -1 "The first strike goes to your humble warrior, Fate..." the artillery piece intones to himself as his turret mount strikes home against the exo-armor. This was pleasing, although Fate had a funny way of showing appreciation to those who championed their supremacy as the primary force in the universe. Fickle, and often unkind... Fate was like a child, completely slave to its impulses which were as varied as the swaying of the wind. It came as no surprise that when the sound of machine gunfire filled the atmosphere nearly each round struck home, almost completely on their mark save for a couple of rounds that had peppered the 'earth' just before the rain of death marked the tank's hide. "Fickle as always... I see you maintain your rousing sense of humor," the tank offered to his mistress, Fate. The pilot appeared to be relatively competent, as the exo-armor had not gone down immediately which is what the Decepticon had been lead to believe would happen easily by his instructors. Fools, all of them really. He should have known better, for they were slaves to their conditioning and did not understand Fate at all. The turret shifted, reacquired its target, and fired again with a fully automatic barrage. Combat: AS90 Braveheart strikes Exo-Jet Headhunter with its Lancer Barrage (Laser) attack! Again, Vince wasn't fast enough to evade the fire from the Decepticon tank. "Father in Heaven, You made me Your child and called me to walk in the Light of Christ. Free me from darkness and keep me in the Light of Your Truth. The Light of Jesus has scattered the darkness of hatred and sin. Called to that Light, I ask for Your guidance. Form my life in Your Truth, my heart in Your Love. Through the Holy Eucharist, give me the power of Your Grace that I may walk in the Light of Jesus and serve Him faithfully." Uttering his prayers quietly as he maneuvers and manipulates the controls, the Exo-suit suddenly does something that only a few are capable of. Not exactly a 'new' technology, it is still very new to the humans; Transforming. Shifting, parts rearranging themselves, for without the use of subspace technologies, each part has to be placed somewhere, the Headhunter's robotic form quickly becomes a formidable looking jet. Hovering for a moment, while Vince took a second to recover from the impact of the last round of fire from Dreadtread, it suddenly takes off, nearly straight up. At the apex of the climb, the nose of the Headhunter drops and the machine dives on the tank, firing a barrage of laser fire that would wither any tank made by the humans. <> Exo-Jet Headhunter transforms into its Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet mode. Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter strikes AS90 Braveheart with its Laser attack! "Ah, so the human runs...already. They are just as cowardly as I had been led to believe. Here I had actually hoped for a bit of a surprise from you, Fate," the tank speaks to himself in a tone that relays a fair quantity of amusement, as the Exo-Suit streaks into a climb that takes it farther from the battlefield. Of course, that is when the sound of the man-made vehicle transforming fills the air. "...Abomination..." He had spoken too soon, and for his foolishness the caricature of his own kind came barreling right back into the fray to mock him with more tiny explosions along his armored form. Streams of heat rise into the air from the several impact marks along the Braveheart, as the tank suddenly decided to change course angled away from the point of the Exo-Jet's descent. A communication? What fun... The oranic wished to converse--an opportunity that he had never thought to have. This actually warranted laughter, which spilled into the conversation as the mobile howitzer made his reply. < Jet with its AS90 Turret (Pistol) attack! "Lord, guide my hand and let my aim be true." uttered Vince as he pulled up out of the dive and circled wide to come in for another pass at the Decepticon tank. As he was veering off to begin circling back in, that damned tank's turret again struck him, peppering the armor along the dorsal side of the exo and jostling the pilot. The bruises were already beginning to stack up. <> It was about time to step it up a notch here. Taking a few extra moments to reacquire his target, he smiles grimly as he opens up with the machine guns once again, in another strafing run. <> Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet strikes AS90 Braveheart with its Heavy Machine Gun attack! It appears that this has become something of a chase, but who is chasing whom? Well, an observer would have a very difficult time coming up with an answer other than 'I have to pick one?' The tank is moved to laughter yet again at the reply from the human organic, and he absolutely cannot wait to respond, as his treads burn up the floor of the Dyson Ring Scrapyard--eating junk and debris for breakfast. <> Suddenly, the self-propelled howitzer halts--its turret continuing to pivot in order to continue targetting the Headhunter. This human was under some rather grandiose delusions. <> The response is cut short as the next round of machine gunfire strikes home entirely without a single round going astray. <<...God...What is God, but a servant of Fate?" The turret fires a mighty barrage of hyper-charged pulse-lasers. Outside, Combat: AS90 Braveheart strikes Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet with its Lancer Barrage (Laser) attack! Coming in lower than he had planned on this strafing run, Vince can't help but cry out with the pain of being thrown around the cockpit with the return fire. This guy was /way/ too accurate! The pulse-lasers slamming into the back of the Headhunter, one of the jet engines is struck and burns out. The warning alarm from the console is quickly silenced by Vince, but the damage has been done. At least it was only one thruster, right? Angling up and away, he grins to himself through the pain of getting slammed around in the cockpit as he suddenly veers back in on the tank. <> As he comes back around, the young human's fingers manipulate a few controls, and a small panel opens to the left and right of the Headhunter's cockpit, allowing a pair of disruptors to slide into view. <> Opening up with a barrage of disruptor fire on the tank, Vince begins his evasive maneuvers on his way in, so maybe the next shot from the Decepticon misses. Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet sets its defense level to Guarded. Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet strikes AS90 Braveheart with its Disruptor attack! The human was starting to get on the Braveheart's wires. The way he speaks of Fate, calling the almighty a tool? Used by the WEAK?? For that he must pay, and pay dearly he shall. If there was any doubt that Fate would favor him in this battle before it was completely erased by the human's blasphemy. <> Into reverse, the tank quickly begins to back-peddle as the disruptors open up and slam into the forward section of the mobile artillery vehicle, causing the armored vehicle to shudder briefly as the intense heat is quickly exposed to the much colder atmosphere. "Fate, I beg of you... Stand with me, and together we will crush this Organic. Together, we will display your greatness and prove that it is his GOD that is the excuse! The TOOL!" <> The battle cry is loosed as the turret comes to life with deafening ballistic fervor. Combat: AS90 Braveheart misses Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet with its AS90 Turret (Pistol) attack! With a barrel roll amidst his sudden weaking to evade incoming fire, Vince smiles and veers away once more to come in for another pass. <> As the Headhunter veers around again, coming in from above, Vince again thumbs the trigger of the machine guns, which roar to life and spit 30mm tracers at the Decepticon. Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet strikes AS90 Braveheart with its Heavy Machine Gun attack! -3 A miss? Now of all times, Fate has decided to make him suffer... It was obvious--obvious that he had spoken out of line. Arrogantly, he had decided to put Fate's reputation on the line for his own vanity, and now that very vanity was spit upon and cursed by his mistress. "I did not mean to anger you!" the Braveheart bellows, with a tembling to his tone. Yes, Fate was the only thing he feared other than total destruction, for only the former could bring about the latter. "I take back my claim... My arrogance. Fate chooses the victors...not its servants. I-"The Heavy Machine Gun drowned out what remains of the treaded vehicle's apology. Pathetic, how pathetic he truly must appear to the almighty Fate... Groveling, like one already defeated. No, that would not make up for his idiocy, and the point was only more deeply drilled into his core much like the heavy rounds that drilled into his armor. <> Again, the Braveheart holds its ground and the main 155mm howitzer cannon steadily rises higher and higher before nearly stemming directly into the sky. It was a longshot, and a dangerous one, but Fate did often favor the bold... Combat: AS90 Braveheart strikes Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet with its INCOMING! attack! Passing over the Decepticon, Vince couldn't pull away from that artillery shell. Spiraling out of control for a moment, he closed his eyes as he brought his Exo back under control, ignoring the searing pain of that explosive shell shredding the armor of the Headhunter and sending tiny shards of metal shooting up through the cockpit, lacerating the pilot within. "Assist me, O Lord my God; and defend me evermore by the might of Thy holy Cross, in whose honour Thou makest me to rejoice. Through Christ our Lord. Amen." He knew he was almost out of this battle, as the Headhunter screamed her own pain in the form of warning sirens, which Vince flipped off. Several of his weapon systems had been knocked off-line, but Vince was not yet out of this fight! <> Yeah, that did a real number on the Headhunter, and Vince should probably get clear of this mess, but he'd consider that option in a minute. After getting control of his Exo back, he veered around, a bit unsteadily, and again manipulated the controls, sending the jet into it's transformation and putting it on the ground. Crouching, the fore-arm mounted machine guns again open up on Dreadtread with a burst of fire from the barrels, and tracers streaked outwards towards the tank. Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet transforms into its Exo-Jet Headhunter Robot mode. Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter strikes AS90 Braveheart with its Medium Machine Gun attack! "...Fate, my mistress..." the Braveheart speaks with great reverence, as the tables turn again--this time favoring the humble servant of destiny. The damage was extensive, and he knew that. It was only a matter of time before the Exo-Suit was destroyed, and the pilot within it would find that his God was nothing more than the ramblings of madmen. Nothing like his Fate. It seemed fitting now, that the Exo-Jet would transform into its robot mode... Oh how he would enjoy destroying the mockery of Transformer-kind. The howitzer cannon returned to its forward position, locking into place before the 'real' Transformer began to do what they are most known for. The hulking beast of a mech shakes the ground with each step, as Dreadtread closes the gap between himself and the EDC pilot. <> come the chilling, booming words of the Decepticon as he leaps forward and brings a balled fist down toward the heavily damaged Exo-Suit. The main howitzer cannon slides back into its secured forward placement, and the tank chassis beneath the main howitzer artillery cannon splits in half--opening up to swallow the main weapon and 'cockpit' before closing again over the cannon forming a solid tower shield which masks the majority of the rest of the transformation. Tank treads are sucked into a pair of box-like compartments that rise as a pair into the air upon the back, while the now treadless wheels of the tank press against the ground--forcing the aft end of the tank into the air before hydraulics hiss as they are quickly wrapped in a pair of armored cylinders. Another whirring of mechanical components shifting leads to the fore section of the tank sliding forward to lay flat against the ground as they form into feet while the armored cylinders continue to press into the surface and force the Transformer into a standing position. The tank's main cockpit and turret mount section flips 180 degrees along the y-axis to expose a full faceplated, helmeted head, and the tank grows several meters as the legs and arms stretch to their full length. Lastly, the tower shield is pulled away from the main body by the left hand to reveal the Decepticon Dreadtread. Combat: Dreadtread strikes Exo-Jet Headhunter with its Punch attack! Watching the transformation, Vince was expecting a gun to get pulled. When the lumbering monster charged him, he wasn't ready for it, and that huge fist connected, denting the Headhunter still more, and knocking Vince about hard enough to cause him to grunt with the pain of his still bleeding cuts, and bruises from earlier in the fight. But, despite the fact that he should have already retreated from this fight, he gritted his teeth and responded to Dreadtread's punch with the mightiest uppercut the Exo could deliver. While Exo's had been designed for combat against Cybertronians, they weren't powerful enough to stand toe-to-toe with a massive monster like this, and Vince knew it. Keying his radio again, he called his shuttle to stand-by for emergency pick-up as he threw what was most likely the final attack he'd be able to muster before the Headhunter's systems went into complete shutdown from the damage. Outside, Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter misses Dreadtread with its Punch attack! "You should have retreated, Organic! Now, it is unlikely that you will survive..." Dreadtread says as he manages to shift his torso just in time to avoid being struck in the face by the uppercut. Shifting his torso around again, the large Decepticon quickly thrust a hand forward in an attempt to grab hold of the Exo-Suit's wrist. "The only thing that may save your miserable life... Is Fate. Your God has abandoned you, as is evidenced by your pitiful efforts and decisive defeat!" Combat: Dreadtread strikes Exo-Jet Headhunter with its Grab attack! Smirking at the Decepticon, hidden inside the Headhunter, Vince suddenly brings the other arm of his exo up, directly into Dreadtread's chest, the 'knuckles' of the fist resting on the armor. Almost immediately, the machine gun roars to life once again. <> Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter sets its defense level to Fearless. Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter strikes Dreadtread with its Medium Machine Gun attack! Sparks and tiny bits of armor fly as the medium machine gun blasts away at Dreadtread's chest at point blank range, causing the large brute of a Decepticon to stagger backward a step from the force. If it was not for the firm grip upon the Headhunter's wrist the human may have been able to flee, as Dreadtread's free hand lifted to shield his optics from the light and potential ricochete... But it was not to be. With a low growl, slow and persistent Dreadtread took his step back, and then another toward the EDC pilot. <> comes a booming shout as Dreadtread lifts his left leg into the air and then thrusts it forward to slam it into the chest area of the robot moded vehicle--attempting to tear the arm from the chassis in the process. Combat: Dreadtread strikes Exo-Jet Headhunter with its Kick attack! Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter is completely disabled. That didn't go exactly as planned, but Vince was used to that. Watching in horror as the arm of his Exo comes free of its housing, the Headhunter topples backwards, shutting down completely and hitting the ground hard. Also doing some nasty tossing around of the pilot, and Vince felt at least one of his ribs crack with the impact and cried out as he reached for the emergency cockpit release. The front panel flying off with explosive force, the human scrambled from the 'dead' Exo-suit as the primary control console exploded in a shower of sparks. As he slid down off of the prone exo-suit to the ground, he clutched at his side and drew a sidearm as he sprinted for cover, yelling into his radio over the noise of his escape, and the sparks and pops of the Headhunter; "Shuttle, emergency pick-up, this location. LZ is hot! Say again, LZ is /hot/!" You leave the Exo-Jet Headhunter . Vince Larsen sets its defense level to Protected. Well, isn't that adorable... Fate has decided to allow him another opportunity to play with the Organic, and perhaps even test the limits of his targetting capabilities. With a sharp downward thrust, the massive tower shield within his left grip is imbedded into the ground, and the arm he had procured from the Exo-Suit is draped back over his right shoulder(it will make a fine trophy), and the Decepticon's assault rifle is brought to bare. The clicking of the weapon's firing mechanism into place is quite loud, and perhaps more than intimidating to anyone the size of the human... The thought alone brings a smirk to Dreadtread's concealed face. Aimed, and poised, the 'Evil Decepticon' does exactly what they are so very well known for... Combat: Dreadtread misses Vince Larsen with his Short-controlled-burst (Pistol) attack! Diving into a natural 'bunker' created by several chunks of concrete, Vince hears the weapon of the Decepticon and chuckles as the bullets slam into the thick concrete, but don't penetrate. But he's not waiting in that spot for a second shot. His radio crackles in his ear with the reply from his shuttle that they were en-route, and he chuckles, smiling despite the pain in his side from not one, but multiple cracked ribs, and the still bleeding cuts from the artillery shell slamming into his exo. Sliding out of the 'bunker', the unarmored human rushes as fast as he can move across partially open ground to a huge chunk of metal that was 3 feet thick, if it was an inch. The mechanic in Vince told him that would make the best possible cover, while the exo-suit pilot in him screamed at him to keep moving. As he sprinted across that open stretch, he fired off several rounds from his sidearm, and prayed that the shuttle would arrive soon. Combat: Vince Larsen sets its defense level to Guarded. Combat: Vince Larsen misses Dreadtread with its Pistol attack! The Decepticon laughed, and laughed loudly as the pistol rounds wizzed by his hulking frame. The human pilot was surely more concerned with fleeing than with hitting his mark--the only possible explanation for missing a mech as large as he. "Where is your God now, Organic?" Dreadtread taunts, as he begins to follow after the fleeing Exo pilot--each step shaking the earth beneath him. Another blast is propelled through the air, as the weapon's core heats up and a fixed laser beam lances across the ground, burning through the flimsier pieces of scrap lining Larsen's path. Combat: Dreadtread misses Vince Larsen with his Laser attack! Vince Larsen continues running, diving behind the huge chunk of metal, probably the remains of some piece of starship hull, or something similar. It was then that he happened to look up, and saw the EDC shuttle coming in fast, and opening up with the 20mm Vulcan Auto-Cannons mounted on it for protection. Spinning around the corner of the metal barrier between him and Dreadtread, he fired his sidearm once again while the shuttle came closer. It would have to set down, unfortunately, before he could board it, but it was here, and he would be out of this mess in just a few more minutes! Calling out loudly as he fires, he can't help but smile. "My God is with me even now! Were he not, I would have died long ago!" Combat: Vince Larsen strikes Dreadtread with its Pistol attack! "Fate perhaps, may save you... But your God saw you lose this battle!" Dreadtread barks in return as a round from the Exo pilot's pistol manages to fly right down the barrel of his rifle, damaging the firing mechanism that removes his ability to utilize the laser function. "Hahahah!" comes laughter, as it seems the Evil Con is momentarily amused by the turn of events. "You deluded fool... When the apocalypse comes to consume the worlds then you will see." The ground around the towering Decepticon all the while erupts skyward with the 20mm Vulcans to thank for the brilliant display of flying debris, as Dreadtread fires a shot toward the retreating fleshbag. Combat: Dreadtread strikes Vince Larsen with his Pistol attack! "Win or lose, God knows that I stood and battled the Evil which would destroy or enslave His favored creations!" Such is the shouted reply to Dreadtread's taunt. Coming in to land, fast and hard, the shuttle touches down very near the half-destroyed Headhunter. Several of the shuttle crew leap from the transport vehicle with a specially designed handtruck for the exo, and cart it aboard while Vince darts from the cover of the metal sheet and makes a mad dash for the shuttle, only to get hit by a bullet from his Decepticon foe. God was truly with him, however, as he was nearly to the shuttle when he was struck, full in the back of the shoulder, by that large bullet, and thrown /into/ the shuttle, which immediately lifted off again and hit maximum thrust to escape the area, while the pair of medical crew on board the shuttle got to work on Vince himself, who was in less than stellar shape. Combat: Vince Larsen begins retreating, leaving itself vulnerable to parting shots from Dreadtread Dreadtread laughs at the human's reply, unable to contain the laughter to the point of lowering the rifle within his grip to his side. Chest heaving, the beast of an automaton crouches low--his head shaking from side to side while his enemy finds safety aboard the extraction shuttle. By the time Dreadtread looks up and lifts the weapon again to fire, the man is gone, along with the Exo-Suit that he had started the battle inside of. "...Yes, Fate... I understand. He must witness for himself," he agrees to the unseen director of the screenplay of existance. Watching the EDC shuttle pass beyond maximum weapons range, Dreadtread rests the rifle's length back against his right shoulder--pinning the Exo-Suit arm in place.